103^rd Kentucky Open presented by Persimmon Ridge scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

LOUISVILLE, KY (July 25, 2022) – For the second consecutive year, Persimmon Ridge Golf Club is set up and prepared to identify the best male golfer in Kentucky. The 103^rd edition of the Men’s State Open contains perhaps the strongest field in championship history. 96 amateurs and 60 professionals compose the 156-player field trying to win the most prestigious tournament in the state.

More than a half-dozen of whom have competed in at least one PGA TOUR event, another half-dozen are past champions of either this event or the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur, and more than half the field currently plays college golf or did before graduating. Four featured groups containing some of the most accomplished players in the field have been created for rounds one and two. They are as follows:

• J.B. Williams, Matthew Troutman, Andrew Stephens, PGA: (9:20 a.m. off #1 on Tuesday, 2:05 p.m. off #10 on Wednesday) – This group shares the parallel of being the reigning champion of one of the state’s premier tournaments. For Williams, it’s the fact he is the three-time defending champion of this event – a feat no player has accomplished before. With his three victories, he is tied for third all-time with the most victories in this tournament. A fourth straight win this week would tie him with Dave Peege for the second-most of any player. Troutman won last month’s thrilling Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur at Indian Hills Country Club and is a popular pick to win this week as well. He is a member at Persimmon Ridge and recorded a top-ten finish in this championship a year ago which will aid in his bid to become one of the youngest winners in the tournament’s history. Stephens won the Kentucky PGA Professional Championship at Bowling Green Country Club last August; his second career victory in that event. By virtue of being the Kentucky PGA’s ROLEX Larry Gilbert Player of the Year, Stephens was exempt for the Barbasol Championship earlier this month which was his second consecutive year playing in the PGA TOUR event.
• J.M. Butler, Tom Campbell, Patrick Newcomb (1:35 p.m. off #1 on Tuesday, 8:50 a.m. off #10 on Wednesday) – All three of these players are past champions of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur. Butler won in record-setting fashion in 2021 at Audubon Country Club when he set the new low scoring mark in championship history while winning by four strokes. He had a close call in the Kentucky Open in 2020 at Triple Crown Country Club when he placed in the top-five. Campbell won the State Am in 2014 at Cherry Blossom Golf & Country Club in an age-defying performance, getting the job done at age 44. Since 2010, he is the only player to win that tournament at 40 years of age or more. More recently, he won the Kentucky Senior Match Play Championship in May at Griffin Gate Golf Club. Newcomb won the State Am two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012 with many strong finishes in the State Open recorded since then. That includes top-ten finishes in both the 2020 and 2021 editions of this tournament. Newcomb has been playing on the Korn Ferry Tour this season and is not far removed from his best finish of the season, a top-five showing at the Memorial Health Championship in Illinois on July 14-17.
• Joe Muschong, Jay Kirchdorfer, Justin Tereshko (8:50 a.m. off #10 on Tuesday, 1:35 p.m. off #1 on Wednesday) – Three “J” players who have experienced success so far this season one way or another. For Muschong, he is fresh off winning the Lexington City Championship at Kearney Hill Golf Links earlier this month. Kirchdorfer was one of the four players involved in the playoff to decide the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur last month and ultimately finished as a runner-up. Tereshko currently leads the John C. Owens Player of the Year points standings, which recognizes the top male amateur in Kentucky. A top-ten finish in the State Amateur alongside reaching the title match in the Kentucky Match Play Championship have been particularly helpful in getting to that spot.
• Jacob Cook, Jay Nimmo, Drake Stepter (8:10 a.m. off #10 on Tuesday, 12:55 p.m. off #1 on Wednesday) – Another group consisting of players with some banner victories. Before Muschong won the Lexington City Championship, Cook had won it back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021. Nimmo knows something about winning tournaments in back-to-back years himself, as he won the KHSAA State Championship in consecutive years in 2019 and 2020. Stepter will be vying for a back-to-back victory this October in the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Mid-Am, which he won in 2021 at Bellefonte Country Club by five strokes.

Click here to view all first and second round tee times

When the players trek across the golf course, those who played in last year’s championship will notice a couple of holes are longer than they were in 2021. The par-four 8^th and par-four 10^th each have new tee boxes which will add about 30 yards of length to each hole. In last year’s championship, both were among the easiest holes based on the scores recorded. How the new length impacts each hole’s difficulty will be among the things to watch this week.

_{The new views from the 8th (left) and 10th (right) tee boxes.}

While the excitement at Persimmon Ridge is palpable, mother nature does not appear to be as enthused about the week ahead based on the weather forecast. A high percentage of rain and thunderstorms exist on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. As a result, 9-hole stipulated rounds will be in effect for each day should conditions warrant play being cut short. As of now, there is not scheduled to be any play on Friday unless there is a limited number of players who need to finish a limited number of holes.

Golf House Kentucky will have full coverage of the championship on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. When the final group in the final round reaches the 18^th hole, a live-stream of the finish will be available to view on Facebook. If a playoff is necessary to determine the champion, that will also be live-streamed. Spectators are welcome to attend the championship each day free of charge.

FAST FACTS

About the Kentucky PGA:
The Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA) is one of forty-one Sections across the country representing the PGA of America and its Members. It is also one of three organizations encompassed within Golf House Kentucky, which also includes the Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) and Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF). The KPGA contains more than 275 Members and more than 30 Associates working in various roles across Kentucky; all of whom share the goal of bettering the game and its players. The KPGA and its Members assist with the organization of many chief growth-of-the-game initiatives including PGA HOPE and PGA Jr. League among others. The Section also operates more than thirty tournaments throughout the golf season, including the three State Open championships and qualifiers for the Barbasol Championship.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703